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Parties, Amy realized, were probably her least favorite thing.It wasn’t the noise, the awkward conversations, and definitely not the refreshments. No, it was how people looked at her. She was the outcast, the pity hire from The Narrows. No matter how much she prettied herself up, all they’d see was a pig in a dress. They said as much- just that morning, she’d overheard her coworkers talking about her. They didn’t even have the shame to whisper and pretend she couldn’t hear. When Gwen had leant her the belt projector for her dress, she’d made it clear. Good luck trying to truss yourself up to our level, Lee .Amy’s hand swept over the gold beaded belt at her waist, breaking up the shape of her red dress. It was her best attempt at standing out in a good way, despite her reputation. The belt projected fire down onto her dress, rippling over the fabric as if it were alive. It had worked for a little while, the novelty of such a thing. But this was a Fox Tech gala. There were more important discussions to be had than with the awkward girl from The Narrows.It took an hour of this charade before Amy decided she was done with it all. She’d rather be home, or a block over in her lab, than sitting here with rich fucks who ignored the real problems Fox Tech could fix if only they scientists would stop being so greedy. Picking up her dress, Amy glided across the outskirts of the ballroom. No one paid her any attention- or, at least, not the kind she’d want. Creepy old men or classist bullies, the lot of them. She ignored them all, staring straight ahead at the large door until she reached it. One of the servers opened it for her, giving her a practiced smile. She returned it with one just as polite and fake.The halls were dark, the lights dimmed since they weren’t being used. As a Fox Tech employee, she was allowed to use the back hallways. She struggled to ensure all of her skirts were in the employee elevator before the door closed, taking her up to the office level.She’d promised Mr. Fox that she'd make an effort tonight. She should at least be the one to tell him she was leaving early . He’d excused himself in a rush at the end of the technology showcase, citing some sort of corporate emergency. Nothing to worry about, just the side effects of owning a company. And no one cared. Lucius wasn’t needed for the private business deals to go on.As the elevator brought her up, she could feel her heart sinking. Lucius Fox, owner of Fox Tech, was the reason she wasn’t on the streets. He certainly shouldn’t have hired her- not when she had no degree or experience- but he’d insisted the winner of that showcase would earn an entry level position in his company. Something about new perspectives, finding the smartest people from every walk of life. And maybe Amy was pretty smart, but that did not mean she belonged among these people.But ever since she started here, she couldn’t deny that Mr. Fox had become a mentor and treasured friend. He trusted her opinion, approved her most out-there ideas, called her in to help with his own projects, and provided more funding than he probably should. Now that she was going to galas as an official Fox Tech scientist, he wanted her to make her own connections. And look how that had turned out.The elevator chimed as the doors slid open, opening to the familiar hallway of Mr. Fox’s office. He had the whole floor to himself. Her heels clicked against the tile, muffled by the thick fabric of her dress. She found herself briefly mesmerized by the pattern on the floor, a series of dancing lights at her feet. Amy moved on down the hall, stopping when she noticed the light spilling out from under his study door. She could hear the sounds of car horns echoing up from the streets below- but it was mid winter. Why were his windows open? She felt her heart leap into her throat, spiraling down through all the possibilities. Sure, they were pretty high up, but someone on the roof could grapple down the few floors to get into his office that way. Or maybe someone had used it as an escape, leaving Mr. Fox in there-Her hand was already on the door knob, pushing it open. She didn’t want to look, didn’t want to see-
Huh?
What stood before her wasn’t a dying Mr. Fox, nor a group of thugs. Instead, Mr. Fox stood with his back turned to her, speaking with a man dressed all in black. No, that wasn’t right . His hair was black, as was most of his skin tight suit. But he bore a black domino mask, curving down the side of his face into points. The light of the moon reflected off the blue bird logo on his chest, the wings extending over his shoulders and down his arms.“Ms. Lee, why aren’t you attending the party?” Mr. Fox’s voice drew her out of her confusion, forcing her to refocus.“I- I was going to go home….” She couldn’t pull her eyes from the man. “What…. What are you doing?”The man’s head turned slightly, looking between her and Lucius. His eyes were completely white- likely thanks to contact- but she could feel him looking her over. Taking in her dress, probably. That was all. Or maybe he thought she was a threat?
“Go wait outside, Amy.” His voice was kind, the way it was when she had an idea she hadn’t thought through.“But-”“I’ll be with you in a moment.” He made a shooing motion with his hand, and she found herself drawing back into the hall. She pulled her skirts out after her, closing the door with a soft click.Her mind was focused singularly on the strange man. He looked familiar, and her mind ached to know why. It was the same feeling she had when there was an equation she couldn’t solve, some puzzle she couldn’t work out. It was there, on the tip of her tongue. She just had to dig deep into her mind to find it. She’d seen him before, she was sure of it .He was in some sort of suit with a mask, so he clearly frequented the shadiest parts of Gotham. Was Lucius involved with the mob, like her? Had the man been a client of hers at some point? Or maybe he’d been on the news, she hardly paid attention to that anymore. But one thing was for sure- he was either a vigilante or a criminal. The line between the two was muddled.The door opened, spilling light onto her face. She hadn’t noticed when she’d sunk to the floor, knees pulled up to her chest. Thinking always got her that way- caught her up in a storm of loose thoughts as her body moved on autopilot. As Lucius appeared in the door, she hurriedly rose to her feet.“What can I do for you, Ms. Lee?” Mr. Fox sounded tired , maybe a touch annoyed or worried. She pushed herself onto her tiptoes, trying to peer over his shoulder into his office. The man was gone .“Who were you talking to?”“That’s not important-”“You gotta tell me if you’re in danger or in debt to the mob or something, sir-”“Lee-”“And where did he go, we’re almost on the top fl-”“ Amy Lee.”His voice was stern and hard, pulling her out of her ramblings. The way it always did . When she just stared at him without answering, a deer in headlights, he continued.“Whatever you think you saw in there isn’t important. Why aren’t you downstairs? Mingling, enjoying the party.”Feeling the shame prickle her skin, she had to stop herself from shuffling her feet and fidgeting with the fabric of her dress. “It wasn’t… I was on my way home. I just wanted to see if I could help you with anything, ‘nd say goodbye for the night.”“I am grateful you had thought of me, but I’m quite alright.” He sighed, and she was sure he was disappointed in her. “If you’re sure… I’ll see you in the lab tomorrow.”“ Is your friend going to be there? ” The words were out of her mouth before she’d thought to stop them.“Go home, Lee. Be safe.” His voice hardened as he stepped back into his office, drawing the door closed. She couldn’t guess why he wanted her to forget, but she was much more inclined to now.“You too, sir.”And she turned down the hallway, back to the elevator, mind clouded with thoughts.
Where had she seen that man before, and how was he involved with Mr. Fox?
~ Walking home that night wasn’t pleasant. It never was. Leaving the warmth of the gala venue for the cold winter streets of Gotham was never a welcome feeling. Both her car and bike had broken down recently, and she hadn’t the time or money to fix them quite yet. It was a long walk from The Diamond District to The Narrows, and none of it brought her joy. The Diamond District was all opulence, money wasted on vanity and greed. It was a symbol of everything that made Amy’s life a living hell- all that was missing was an old penguin. The Narrows was the opposite: home, but unkind. She passed several homeless people on the way home, ignored muggings in the alleyways she passed, and picked up her pace. By growing up in The Narrows, you learned not to stick your nose into things you couldn’t handle. Keep your head down and hope it doesn’t happen to you, but grip that pocket knife a little tighter just in case.This, of course, wasn’t the first time she’d been mugged. She got it, people were desperate. You did what you had to do to survive. But they didn’t have to be so rough with her! Amy had been snatched by her hood and dragged into an alley rather violently. Two men came up from behind her, grabbing her by her arms and twisting the pocket knife out of her grip. They were coordinated, that was for sure. Not your average muggers- either some small gang or a group of thugs that had recently lost their jobs.“Come on, guys, this really isn’t necessary,” Amy played it bored, trying to get them to lose interest. She knew what men wanted in an alley, if you were unlucky. “If you want my wallet, you can have it. I’ll even grab it for you .”A third man was snatching her duffel bag from the ground where she had dropped it, rooting through the layers of red fabric for anything more valuable. Suddenly, she was glad the hologram belt wasn’t hers. She’d left it in Gwen’s lab on her way home, after she’d changed into less rich clothing. She’d never hear the end of it if some thug took her most hated coworker's newest prototype.“Shut up and stop squirming!” The man on her right basically growled at her, twisting her arm uncomfortably. This feeling was familiar, and not in a way she enjoyed. But she calmed, willing her body to stay still for once, resigning herself to watching the third man root through her belongings. Until he pulled out the dress, that is .“And what’s this pretty little number?”“That’s mine! Take all the fuckin’ cash you want, that dress is mine !” She realized too late how her emotions betrayed her. It wasn’t that the dress was from some name brand, or with expensive materials. That dress was hers because she made it, spending all that money on the fabric so she’d have one nice thing to wear at work events. She wasn’t going to ask Mr. Fox for money, not for that, not ever.“Think again, missy. Finders keepers!”Amy felt the grip on her right arm lessen before she heard the man’s pained grunt. She didn’t take time to process, didn’t bother looking. Wrenching her arm from his hands, she swung around and palmed the other guy in the face.“VVIX, shock ‘em!” She felt the thick black ring on her middle finger spark to life, and watched as the electricity rolled onto the man. His grip tightened on her arm as the electricity caused his muscles to clench. But she kept going until- until she spotted the blood dripping from his nose. “Stop- stop- ” And her AI listened, powering down the ring.She spun around to take the third guy- and found him unconscious on the ground instead. A man stood over him, back turned to her, lit only by the street light in front of him. It caught the blue of his skin tight suit, strikingly familiar."Look, dude, I don’t know what Mr. Fox is involved in, but I ain’t want no part of it.”Her ring was only good for one charge, enough to get her out of a bad situation. She didn’t know this man, didn’t know what he wanted, and she knew better than to trust him just because he’d taken care of her attackers. This was how you got indebted to bad people .He turned around to look at her, his head tilting slightly to the side as his lips quirked up in the corners. He thought she was amusing, not a threat. She could be a threat . She brought up her hand, trying to threaten him with the ring.“I know Gotham isn’t generally fond of its vigilantes, but really? No thank you? I just saved your life, didn’t I?”“If you know Gothamites so well, you’d know we ain’t going to trust someone just ‘cuz.” She looked him over, squinting to get a better look. “ What do you want ?”“... Pardon?” She almost believed his confusion.Rolling her eyes, she slowly lowered her hand. “For saving me, even though I had it totally under control. What’d ya want?”He just looked at her, head tilted like some sort of dog. “Nothing. Do you ask that of everyone who helps you?”“I don’t like having debts to people.”“I never said you owed me anything.”“Well you have to want something !”“I really don’t.” He sounded exasperated as he crouched down next to the unconscious man. “And, truly, I don’t think there’s anything you could give me.”“Being a vigilante can’t be very lucrative.”He tossed a cheeky grin at her over his shoulder, provoking an eye roll. “Are you secretly rich? Just living in The Narrows for fun?”“ No .” She eyed the sticks on his back, recognizing that they were some sort of enhanced weapon. Her specialty . “I wager you’re using Fox Tech?”He ignored her, stuffing the red dress gently back into her duffel bag. He stood, lifting it up, and she briefly worried he’d take that as payment. She stepped forward to stop him, steal it away, just as he calmly held it out to her.She watched him for a moment, looking into the milky white of his eyes, before she snatched it back from him. “For what it’s worth.” She turned her head to the side, securing it on her shoulder. “Thank…” she turned back, finding herself talking to the air, “... you.”
What a weirdo…
Welp, there was no reason to waste a good opportunity… she crouched down next to one of the unconscious men, rooting around in all his pockets. Repeating this with the other two, she came out of the ordeal $30 richer, with a rusty pair of knuckles and some cigarettes.Feeling eyes on her, she looked up and down the dark alleyway. Finding no one, she turned her gaze to the cloudy sky and the rooftops above. Well, she couldn’t shake the feeling, so all she could really do was go home and hope that guy was still around, just in case someone else had some bright ideas about dragging a petite girl into an alley.
Maybe it was time to start following the Gotham vigilantes again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“She’s home safe, Fox,” Nightwing spoke into his ear piece, “you can stop worrying now.”
He was crouched on the corner of a flat roof, watching as Amy Lee used at least three keys to enter a mechanic shop he was sure he’d been to before. Supervising a Fox Tech employee on her walk home to The Narrows of all places was surprising to say the least, but he didn’t mind. He was already off his patrol route so he could check in with Lucius, a little detour wasn’t any bother.“Did you encounter problems?” Lucius’ sounded tired. Dick’s heart went out to the man- he knew the toll running a company could have.“Nothing I couldn’t handle. An attempted mugging.” He idly flipped his escrima sticks over in the air, watching the girl slip inside. “Do you usually have her followed home?”
“No, no, you just happened to be in the area.” It really was interesting how Amy had happened unto them that night. Dick wasn’t supposed to be there long, just to pick up some upgrades for his sticks. But that had quickly devolved to discussing lab results from Riddler, Scarecrow, and Bane’s newest weapons. He was almost as surprised as Amy to have someone stumble into the office unannounced. She certainly didn’t seem to be a threat- if anything, she looked concerned. Worried. Amy Lee was an interesting individual, what with her dress made of fire and her unnaturally deep blue eyes. He took her as just another Fox Tech employee, someone who’d bought their way into an impressive resume so they could work at one of the top tech companies in the world. If he hadn’t watched her walk home, he never would’ve guessed she was from The Narrows. But now that he knew, the signs were there. She was short and thin, almost boney. Her face was a bit sullen, all likely from a life of malnutrition. Classic signs of a poor childhood. “Do I need to worry about her having seen us together?” It wasn’t that Dick liked being mistrustful of the woman, it was just a consequence of the job. It was in everyone’s best interest if the connection between the Bats and Fox Tech stayed under the radar.“I can handle Ms. Lee. She’s a good soul, and a brilliant mind.” He chuckled softly, and Dick could practically see the grin on his face. “You’re actually familiar with her work, already.”
“Am I really?”
“How do those new escrima sticks feel?”
Dick flipped them over in the air again, really getting a feel for them. Lighter, but still heavy enough to pack a good punch. The top was a bit larger, but he imagined that was a trade off for packing a bigger punch. It had felt a bit different when he used them earlier.“Great, actually.” He hummed, turning his head to look back at the mechanic shop. “You let someone else work on our gear?”
“Yes, but she doesn’t know.” Dick felt himself relax a bit. “She’s an expert in all sorts of electronics, power sources and sonics. Sometimes it helps to get a new, young eye on your designs.”Ironic, considering how adamant she’d been that she didn’t want to be involved in Lucis’ business with vigilantes. She already was.Nightwing hummed in reply, tapping an escrima stick against his shoulder. “Does B know about that?”
“Of course he does.”“ Interesting . Surprised the control freak let it go.”“She’s trustworthy, you have my word. Now, if that’s all, Nightwing? I do have a party to host.”
“Right. Enjoy the party, say hi to him for me.” Poor Tim had the night off of patrols so he could attend the gala, reminding the public that Wayne Enterprises and Fox Tech were and always would be on good terms. Besides, he liked a good technology showcase.“Stay safe out there.” There was the distinct click of Lucius disconnecting from the comms line, leaving Nightwing alone on the rooftop.The Narrows was a sad place, full of the most unfortunate people in Gotham. How little was Fox paying her, he wondered, if she was still living in The Narrows? Fox Tech didn’t skimp out on paying their employees, so there had to be something else keeping her here. That was a mystery for another time, or maybe never. She had Lucius’ vote of confidence, and Bruce had likely already done a background check on her.He stood, stretching his arms over his head, before tapping into the group comms system. “Oracle, what do you have for me tonight?”Plastic crinkled from Barbara’s comm line, undoubtedly whatever she was snacking on for their late night patrols. “Some of Bane’s lackeys were spotted in an unmarked car, likely on their way to a drug deal. You’re the closest. Sending the coordinates now!” ~ Tailing the van was easy work, thanks to Oracle. These guys had to be new- they weren’t nearly careful enough. The car pulled right up to the meeting site, some out of the way parking lot, without taking near enough detours.All in all, it was a fun ride. Nightwing ran across rooftops, switching seamlessly between runs, grapples, and extravagant jumps. It was an easy rhythm, one he fell into almost immediately. His body knew what movements he needed to execute to get across the gaps, taking him along for the ride. He didn’t think- he didn’t need to- it was muscle memory. The types of jumps and twists he had done his entire life, as long as he could remember. It was a disappointment when it ended on a flat roof, the van idling in a closed off parking lot. Welp, looked like he was in for the long haul .No one emerged from the van, meaning their contact wasn’t here, meaning this was going to be a very boring night. He shifted his position to sit more comfortably, one knee pulled up to his chest and the other folded under him. That way, the moment anything happened, he could jump up at a moment’s notice.It was a relatively quiet night- as quiet as Gotham could be. A lot of villains were currently in Arkham, leaving their goons to scramble without leaders. Without a doubt, they turned to smaller crimes, but the Bats were nothing if not equipped to handle those.That was what these past few weeks had been- chasing down thugs, dismantling drug rings, stopping more petty crimes, quieter detective work. Regardless, Spoiler had still broken her arm and was on bed rest. They’d told Batman and Alfred it was from a brawl with Riddler’s bots- they didn’t need to know she’s fallen badly trying to imitate one of Nightwing’s moves for a TikTok. That didn’t stop Batman from finding out- world’s greatest detective and all that- but it was a valiant attempt. That had doubled their lecture. And Batman had “requested” Nightwing come help in Gotham until she recovered. To “make up for the loss.”Batman wasn’t one to ask Nightwing to assist in Gotham, no matter how big the threat he was facing was. But the quieter nights seemed to trigger some of that paranoia he was so famous for. If things were quiet, it was because someone was planning something. They had to be ready.And honestly? Nightwing didn’t disagree. Even with most of the craziest and smartest villains locked up in Arkham, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was coming. It was a six sense you tended to develop after spending so much time around Batman. Like Gotham herself was whispering warnings in your ears. Riddler was growing his influence in The Narrows, Bane had some sort of drug ring going again, and Scarecrow was MIA- Movement in the parking lot caught his attention. Headlights swept across the empty lot, coming to rest on his white van. Bingo! He watched as the men mingled, speaking in low tones he couldn’t hear, waiting for his moment. He turned on detective mode, zooming in to count his opponents. Six men outside, two in each van. One, from the van he followed, produced a briefcase. He flashed it to the other group and the other man gave some sort of signal. The two from the new van exited, bringing out some sort of bags. They all started handing it out of the van and to the first group as quick as they could.While they were distracted with their goods, Nightwing slid down the downspout. He crept around the spotlights, using the odd car as cover. Six of the men focused on getting the product from one van to the other, the other four standing guard. They brandished pistols out into the night, scanning the darkness. Just pistols, nothing heavy.Nightwing settled behind a pile of trash bugs, crinkling his nose in disgust. The sooner he got this over with, the quicker he’d be away from the smell . He raised an escrima over his head, squinting his eyes as he judged the distance, and-
THUNK!
The first hit a shooter, electrocuting him on impact. As his body dropped, Nightwing ran in. Sliding on the ground, he takes another shooter out by the knees. Before they could react, he was using the momentum to flip to his feet. Two calculated punches took down one guy, a kick sending a guy colliding with the van and falling to the ground. He’s a blur of blue and black, spinning around to deflect and deal out blows. These guys were amateurs . Two hits and they were down- he was barely breaking a sweat! And in his arrogance, he let one hit him in the head with something hard . He punched back, feeling his fist connect with a jaw, but found himself reeling. He pushed his back against the van, keeping his fists up to guard his face- but no further blows came. When his vision settled, Nightwing found himself standing before a mass of unconscious bodies, feeling a satisfied grin spread across his face.“You could have at least given me a workout instead of a concussion.”Nightwing surveyed the scene, finding that one of the guys had wisened up and driven the van out of there. Damnit . He turned to the remaining van, finding its doors still open. They hadn’t left much for him, but it was enough. Two cloth sacks sat in the empty space, filled to the brim with something . Carefully, he tugged one open. It was some fine powder, shimmering in the dim lighting. It was hard to see the color- a pale blue, maybe? It wasn’t cocaine, that was for sure.“Oracle, you seeing this?” Nightwing pressed his earpiece as he walked out of the van, stepping into the light.“Yup, clear as crystal.” There was a small amount of static. “Isn’t it just cocaine?”
“Nope, it’s blue.” He dipped a finger in, getting a few specks on his finger. He held it close to his eye, Oracle her get a closer look. Huh…. May as well!
Oh that tasted HORRIBLE. It was like he tased his mouth, or the worst carbonated soda. And oddly sour?“NIGHTWING?! You did NOT just eat an unknown drug!” He jerked his head, startled at the volume.“ No . I took a couple grains of an unknown drug! For testing purposes!” He chuckled, dusting his hand into the bag. “It’s definitely not cocaine.”She groaned- he could practically see her holding her head in her hands. “Why can’t you just bring back a sample like a normal person?”
“Roger- I’ll come swing by the clocktower.” He fished a small vial out of his belt pouch, scooping it through the powder before corking it. He didn’t ask if Oracle had already called the police- he knew she had. It was best he got out of there quickly. He grappled up up and away, over roofs and alleyways, heading straight for the clock tower that pierced the gloomy Gotham sky.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The day after the gala, Amy retreated into the safety of her lab. Mr. Fox had given her one all to herself, although he refused to say why. But they both knew. The others weren’t kind, and there was nothing he could do about it, except give her a safe private place. Money had a lot of power, even over good people.It wasn’t completely unwarranted. She tended to jump between projects, which took up a lot of space, and most of those projects were not cleared to be tested around outside people or other tech. Strict protocols had to be followed for everyone’s safety. But it wasn’t like Amy was alone- she had VVIX! The little blue fox hologram sat on her desk, tail twitching as it watched her. It was her first project at Fox Tech, one always in development because an AI was always learning. He made the perfect companion in this large, windowless white room. And no one needed to know who she’d modeled his personality after . “Alright, VVIX, pull up the last Red Etherium test for me.”VVIX huffed indignantly, but it wasn’t longer than a second before the screens popped up around her. This entire room was hooked up with projectors for this very reason. She glanced around at the screens, rereading her own ramblings. “The friction still makes the cores unstable, even with the alterations.” She sighed, feeling loose strands of hair brush her shoulders as she tilted her head. “I don’t get it. The glass casing should be enough to- maybe we need to thicken it? Reduce the ratio?” [Amy, Mr. Fox is requesting entry.] VVIX’s deep voice drew her out of her ramblings, eyes focusing on the door behind her. “Let him in for me?” She hummed, returning her attention to the screens. She could definitely find the answer if she just read it again.“Late night?” The warm hand clasping her shoulder was a familiar one. “Ms. Lee, if I could speak with you for a moment?”“I know, I shouldn’t have left last night, but it was just-”“It’s not that.” He smiled warmly as she turned to look at him, motioning her to the lone desk in the room. She cringed, realizing she hadn’t tidied up at all. Papers and bits of tech littered her desk in unorganized piles. But Lucius had seen her in worse states, afterall.Still, she sat on her beat up stool, leaving the large, comfy desk chair for Lucius. Sure, the stool wasn’t comfortable, but she’d rather be the one sitting on it than the older gentlemen. “If it’s something Augutus said, I promise-”“No, Lee, not that either. Although we will be circling back around to that at a later date.” Well fuck, he hadn’t known about that . “It’s about what you saw last night? In my office?”“The- the guy? Nightwing, right?” She may or may not have spent a good chunk of time last night re-familiarizing herself with the current vigilantes in the Gotham area. According to her research, Nightwing wasn’t even supposed to be in Gotham. Amy would’ve been lying if she said she wasn’t deathly curious what had brought him across the water. “Yes, Nightwing. He was here for an investigation, one that must be kept quiet.”“ So we’re not secretly supplying the Bats and the Birds with tech? ” She couldn’t help but sound a bit disappointed. That discovery was supposed to be her in! Imagine what good sponsors they would be- and she could actually make fun things. Good things. “Absolutely not.” His tone was flat, but she recognized the amused twinkle in his eyes as her shoulders slumped. Deflated, she sighed dramatically. “ Fine , I’ll drop it.”“And you won’t mention it to anyone?” He was expectant, looking down his nose at her in a way that was painfully fatherly. “Of course not.” She tried to force a playful tone, caught off guard. “I mean, who would I tell, anyway?” He shrugged, spinning the chair to look at the hologram fox. “Well, I trust VVIX to keep you in check anyhow.” He chuckled at his own joke, continuing. “VVIX, what are we working on today?”VVIX pulled up the screens again, moving them in front of Lucius so he could read. Amy watched, trying to keep herself from bouncing in her seat as she watched him read her notes. If it were anyone else, she would have worried about him reading them before she’d gone through and edited them. Amy didn’t write very professionally. In her official reports, she always straightened them out. But this was Mr. Fox- he’d seen her notes be much more disorganized and… unprofessional than this. So she waited eagerly for his suggestions. “I was thinking I might try strengthening the shell. It’d reduce the friction, reducing the output, but it might stabilize the core.”VVIX brought up a projection between them. Amy stared at the crystalline red ball with frustration. This power core- Etherium, she called it- was the answer to her prayers. But it wasn’t complying . If it was hit hard enough, it would produce clean electricity. It required no fossil fuels, no recharging, it was completely self-sustaining! But if you struck it too hard, to get the right output, it would explode in your face. “That might work, but I would suggest infusing less Etherium Dust.”“But then it won’t produce enough electricity to power anything , especially not a house.”“Have you tested what happens when you activate it more often?” “It gets angry and explodes.” Amy sighed, leaning the stool back. Her arms latched onto the seat, between her legs, to keep herself from falling off entirely. “Unrelated, but I…. may need to order more red Etherium.” Lucius nodded, pondering over her notes. It couldn’t have been a surprise to him. She always needed more Etherium, thanks to the fact that it literally exploded if she breathed on it too hard. What was odd was that it didn’t always explode itself . Many times, it would only be the space around it. The core would be unharmed. It was the most progress Amt had, so she had to believe that was the direction she should move towards. “You’re in luck, the previous order just came this morning.” He spoke absently, flipping back through months of records and tests.She bit her lip, wondering if she dared to ask. “Any blue this time…?” He sighed, shaking his head. “No, it seems they still are having trouble reproducing it.” Amy groaned, throwing herself dramatically over her cluttered desk. The small chuckle that earned from Mr. Fox caused a smile to spread across her lips. He gently patted her arm. “Maybe next time, Ms. Lee.” “It’s so hard to make, I can’t help but wonder if it’s the key to stabilizing these.”She pushed herself off the desk to see him standing up, adjusting his shirt’s collar. “With any luck, it will be that easy. I look forward to seeing your progress.”He smiled, shaking her hand before he left her lab. She spun around in her stool, looking at her fox companion.“Let's put the Etherium away for today, then.” She swiped on the hologram screen, pulling up various forgotten projects. Dupla-arms, jet packs, and other smaller gadgets that just made life safer for the little people. It was a frustrating balance, switching between her passion projects for The Narrows and ones that would please sponsors. But a necessary one. No one else would do it, so she would. “How about-”[ALERT - BREAK-IN AT THE SHOP] “ What?! ” She whirled around to VVIX, finding his eyes turned red. He projected a screen before her, showing the familiar interior of the car shop. Her house . Standing at her workbench, a cold, analytical expression on his face, was Nightwing. “I have seen his beautiful face too many times in the last 24 hours- come on!” She snatches her bag from the table and sprints to the door. “VVIX, is the shop in home mode?"[Yes, miss.] The fox trotted along at her feet, stopping at the door. There were no projectors in the halls and elevators; he could go no further. Not physically, anyway . [Shall I activate the security measures?] “No! No, no- we don’t want to give him the heads up.” She closed and locked the door, hurriedly punching the ‘ground level’ button on the elevator. “Just keep feeding me the security footage. I want to know everything he does.” ~ Amy could do nothing but watch as Nightwing poked around her shop. He was… surprisingly gentlemanly about it all? He clearly wasn’t strapped for cash- he put all of her projects back where he found them after he examined them. She didn’t bother sitting on the near-empty 9pm subway- she was too nervous. She just watched him. It was moments like now that made her so glad she designed VVIX the way she did. He was completely compatible with multiple kinds of technology including, but not limited to, computers, phones, projectors, screens of any kind, and, most importantly, contacts . The pair she wore tinted her eyes to a deep, unnatural blue. It allowed her and only her to see what the VVIX program usually projected using holograms, which was how she viewed the security camera feed on the subway ride home. Just a small pop up screen to the side of her vision, where she could see it clearly without obstructing her view. As she came running down her block, Amy was wheezing for breath. The subway station was close , but not close enough for her lungs to not burn from the effort of booking it straight home. “Over- override the door lock!”Luckily, VVIX was used to her speech being interrupted. The little fox hologram in the corner of her eye nodded, letting her know she could head right inside. She shouldered the door open, slamming it into the wall as she leveled a gun into her apartment.“WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE?!” All caution was thrown to the wind because he, of all people, should not be here . The vigilante half turned to look at her, holding something in his hands. “This isn’t a house, this is a car repair shop.”“ It’s the same thing !” She watched as his eyes darted over to her pickup truck, at the mess of blankets and pillows in the truck bed. His mouth formed a slow ‘o’ as he realized. “You still haven’t answered my question.” He looked her up and down, his masked gaze raising goosebumps along her skin. She hadn’t changed in her rush to get home. What she wore now, she realized, was an extremely casual work uniform. Black sweatpants and tank top, covered by her stained lab coat. Not expecting any non-friend company, she had just thrown her hair into a ponytail that was definitely coming undone. She looked a mess, and she knew it . She pulled herself out of her thoughts as he cleared his throat, placing the object back down on her work bench. Nothing important, just a discarded prototype . That was a relief, at least. Slowly, he raised his hands to either side of his head. “Actually,” he spoke, drawing her attention, “I was waiting for you to come home. I just didn’t think you’d come so early.”“I have cameras, genius.” Really shitty cameras made of “borrowed” Fox Tech scraps, but he didn’t need to know that. All that mattered was that they worked. Amy hesitated, then closed the door. “What’s a vigilante want to talk t’ someone like me about?” Feeling his gaze sweep over her again, she shuddered. Why was he looking at her like that? “Well you’re the leading expert on Etherium, right?”She couldn’t hide the shock that came across her face. How and why did he know about Etherium? Oh, who was she kidding, the Bats knew everything happening in Gotham. Well, almost everything . “You could… say that. Why? ”“Last night I stopped a drug deal in The Bowery. And, wouldn’t you know, they were dealing Etherium.” Hair stood up on the back of her neck at the thinly veiled accusation. He thinks I’m dealing it ! As if to reassure him, she stuck the gun into her inner lab coat pocket. She never left home without it, just in case. He offered her a tablet from his belt. Instead of taking it, she searched his eyes. He still wore those contacts, but now that they were in a light area, she found she could see his iris if she looked hard enough. They were boaring right back at her, steady and focused. She couldn’t see his eyebrows, thanks to his mask, but she could guess based on how warped the mask was. His brows must be knitted together, giving his face a sharper look. It was now that she realized how close he had come to hand her the tablet. Just a step away from her, looking down with such an intense gaze. Jesus Christ, he was tall. And muscular. Or maybe Amy was just short . She had the sudden urge to kick his shins. Finally, she accepted the tablet from him. And immediately almost dropped it, seeing the photos. Blue Etherium, the exact thing her lab had been struggling to produce for months. She brought the tablet closer to her face, not trusting her eyes. “You’re- you’re sure this is Etherium?” Not sparing him a glance, her eyes scanned over the report. “Only one lab in the Tri-State area should be able to make this, and I haven’t gotten any Blue Etherium from them in months.” “It was identical to the makeup, so…” he trailed off, waiting for her to refute it. She didn’t, her mind still whirling. Lucius had been in communications with Research Nexus- there was no Blue Etherium. It was too difficult to reproduce at the moment. So how had street thugs gotten at least several large sacks of her stuff?! Amy looked up, realizing Nightwing was talking to her. “Sorry- what?” His mask moved as he raised an eyebrow at her. “I said, you’re sure this lab is the only one who can make Etherium?”“Absolutely. Etherium is a compound I made, first of all, and it requires specialized equipment to make it. Not to mention, if you want to compress it into a power core.” Her own brows furrowed, her mind catching up to her mouth. “Wait, sorry, you said you busted a drug deal? Etherium isn’t a drug… I don’t think.” “You don’t think? Lee, have you not tested your own product?” He gave her that lopsided grin, one she found unfortunately contagious. Amy laughed, brushing off her own smile. “Of course I do! It just- it has no president to work as a drug. And ideally the drug side effect testing would come after it’s stabilized enough to use safely .” She found herself muttering the last part, but the vigilante had no doubt heard it. He was too damned close not to. “Right, so someone found this out before you, then?”“Someone with a disregard for their life, sure.” She waved her hand, stepping around him to walk further into her shop. “Etherium is highly unstable at present. All my work has been focused on fixing that quirk. So to even try to take it as a drug would result, in this case, with your face being frozen.” She made a small gesture, a flickering holographic screen appearing in her hand. The projectors at home were ones she’d dug out of the trash- nowhere near the quality of the ones at Fox Tech. But they worked! He came to stand behind her, looking down at the screen over her shoulder. Amy watched as his eyes scanned the screen, reading her limited knowledge of Blue Etherium. “Well if the high’s good enough, people will do some really stupid shit.”She snorted at that, waving away the screen. “What I’m wondering… is why it’s only the blue. In theory, the other colors should also give some sort of high.”“I have a couple theories,” he mused, stepping away. She turned to find him halfway to the door. “Your information has been helpful, but I have other leads to follow. If you’re lucky, maybe we’ll be seeing each other again soon?” He had the audacity to wink at her over his shoulder. Amy felt anger- definitely anger- bubbling up in her stomach and she lunged at him. Catching him by surprise, her hand found his wrist and held it tight. “Um, no! This is my project we’re talking about here- there’s no way I won’t be involved in the investigation.” “You’re a civilian.” He had to gall to laugh at her! “I’m the scientist who made the thing you’re investigating. You need me.” Amy forced herself to take a small breath. “I’m sure Batman taught you a bunch about science and everything, but Etherium is different. One of a kind. You need the expert, and I’m literally volunteering myself.”Amy let go of his wrist, insteading turning her hand to offer him a handshake. Nightwing shook his head at her. “Let the heroes do the hero work. I mean, I know I make it look easy,” she rolled her eyes, “but it really is dangerous.”Amy snorted a bit. “You don’t grow up in The Narrows without learning a thing or two about defending herself.” Her hand came to rest over her inner jacket pocket, where she had hidden her pistol. Judging by his expression, that wasn’t getting her anywhere. “Besides, I don’t think you need me in the fights. Just the boring investigative stuff.” Hah, she had him there! She could see his white irises shift away from here as he thought it out. “Mr. Fox is great, he knows a lot, but he’s not the one making it.” She bit her lip, wondering if her last push would be enough. “This person’s been stealing from Fox Tech without tripping any alarms. It has to be someone on the inside, hijacking our communications and order logs. You need someone on the inside you can trust. And not the CEO, I mean a worker . Someone who won’t draw attention.”“You draw a lot of attention, Lee.” The corner of his mouth quirked up in a smirk, startling a small laugh from her.“Sure, but no one would think I’m a mole or investigator or whatever. No one pays me any mind at work, I promise.” Amy watched with baited breath as he clenched his jaw, shifting his stance to fully turn to her. One arm crossed over his chest, the other thoughtfully covering his mouth. He looked almost like a Greek statue, posed so eloquently. At last he sighed, dropping his hand. “Alright, alright, you’ve convinced me,” he feigned annoyance, throwing up his hands in defeat. And then his hand slipped into hers, warmth spreading up her arm as they shook on it. “ For the foreseeable future ... We’re partners on this.” His grin was contagious- she could feel her own spread over her face. Even though, if she was being honest, her guard was still up around him. Growing up in The Narrows had taught her not to trust so easily- especially people who broke into your place. It taught her with every sacrifice, every hard decision, that vigilantes weren’t there for the everyday stuff. But Nightwing had a disarming smile, one that immediately put her at ease, and made her wonder if he’d be there to protect them from the little things. That in of itself was a red flag. But she drew a shaky breath. “Yeah, partners,” she met his eyes as a grin spread across her lips. “Now get out of my house.”
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Night found Amy in a working frenzy. The little repair shop was filled with the sound of metal on metal, heated by the flame of the welding gun in her hand. Time slipped from her mind, replaced by familiar calculations and movements. Welding, creating, was her blood. Sure, she was always freakishly good with tech. But melting metal together to make something new? That’s who she was, deep in her heart. It was her second home. Metal warmed her hands as she examined her product with a cold eye. It definitely wasn’t sleek and perfect- and neither did she want it to be. Amy’s products weren’t cold and corporate, they were unique and clunky. Some pieces fit together oddly, it wasn’t a streamlined product. In truth, it was partly because she didn’t have the time. She also lacked the materials to make everything small and compact, the way a Fox Tech product might be. But, over time, it became her signature. Leaving behind the raised marks from where two pieces had welded together, keeping the patterns from the pieces of scrap that composed the outer barrel. Every haphazard cut, each rough edge was proof that it was hers, even after it’d been given to the buyer. Amy lifted the car bumper easily, bringing it up to eye level for closer inspection. Years ago, she’d installed a magnifying feature into the glass screen of her welder’s mask. It wasn’t too bad, considering the shitty pay. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have taken this job. However, she was one of the only mechanics in Gotham who was so willing to work with low income clients. Growing up so piss poor made you soft to others struggles, and this particular client had been a friend of her dad. How could she say no? Idly, she ran a hand over the warped metal. The barest amount of heat made it through her thick gloves, warming her against the late winter chill. Her dad . It was cold work nights like these where she missed him the most. They used to stay up working together all the time, him in his comfortable silence while she babbled on about whatever it was that she found interesting that day. He’d tinker around in an engine while she hooked up all her projectors and cameras, or she’d be sitting on his workbench to hand him whatever tool he needed next. The best memories of her entire life happened right here, in this very chair. It was why she’d never let go of this shitty shop, why every spare dollar she had went into keeping it running. Why she worked a second job fixing up cars for cheap, why she had a third job making custom inventions for people. She gave up her childhood apartment for this store , and she’d be damned if she lost anything else from him. Now, she realized, her arms were screaming with the effort of lifting the bumper for so long. She set it back on her desk with a loud thud, barely audible over the music blasting in her headphones. Her spine crackled and popped in ways that promised terrible back pain later in life as she stretched, finally allowing herself to yawn. Fuck, what time even was it? She flipped her welder’s mask up so she could see the dim digital clock nailed into her wall. Two AM wasn’t too bad, all things considered. Maybe she could get some other commissions done, if she was quick about it. “Alright, wakeup time!” Amy clapped her hands above her head to active VVIX. It wasn’t the kind of project she needed VVIX to assist with, nor was she in the mood for the familiar presence he mimicked, so she had placed him on a ‘do not disturb’ mode. But if she was to work on more custom orders, his input would speed everything along. And lord knew she needed more money. [You have three missed messages, Amy] Her hands roamed her desk, knocking scrap metal onto the floor with a harsh clang as she searched for her shitty phone. Jesus Christ, where could it- her finger slid over a familiar crack. Triumphantly, she pulled her phone out of the mess so she could look at the notification. “VVIX, this is an unknown number. I thought we patched your spam filter?”[ The texter identified themself as Nightwing] “OH fuck-” Amy scrambled to unlock her phone so she could read the messages. In the days since she’d “teamed up” with Nightwing, he hadn’t reached out once. And, unfortunately, Amy had zero way to contact him. She was starting to think she’d hallucinated the vigilante coming to call on her at all. Nightwing’s text message chain was… an interesting one, to say the least. First was a selfie of the vigilante, a peace sign over one winking eye, taken from inside a dark car. She noted the tinted windows and the pristine upkeep of the interior with mild surprise. Of course the vigilante with all the cool tech was rich. <[ it’s ya boi, Nightwing ]<[ you busy tonight? ] That earned a small snort from Amy. Who the fuck texted like that? Nightwing, apparently. [ how the fuck did you get my numner ]><[ *number ]<[ also, I went through public records ]<[ u also run a business ][ okay stalker ]><[ u busy or not? ][ w h y ]><[ are we partners orrrrr? ][ … ]> Amy looked over at her messy desk, finding all the little projects and commissions she was planning on tinkering with that night. None of them had close deadlines, and the Etherium robberies were important…[ just finished work, what you got? ]><[ well I’m really bored at a stakeout ][ and you need me there… why? ]><[ ;/ u said you’d help with the boring stuff ][ PICK ONE WAY TO TYPE INSTEAD OF SWITCHING HALWAY THROUGH ]><[ *Halfway ] Amy furiously pecked at her cracked phone screen, ready to rant at him about unneeded corrections when VVIX yipped at her- his notification sound. Reminding herself to take deep breaths, she busied herself with looking up at the screen he was showing her. A man at the front door of the office, hands shoved into his pockets. She swore, recognizing his type as all thoughts of Nightwing were forgotten. Black beanie and gaiter, a black and white pin on his ripped hoodie. “He- he’s early, isn’t he?” Pushing off her desk, she rummaged through a stack of papers. What day was it again? Distantly, she heard VVIX’s familiar baritone, but the words wouldn’t process. Her mind was a mess. How much money did she have saved? Had she already paid her bills? Why was a debt collector on her doorstep? A familiar booming pounding on her door drew her out of it. Fuck, she had to answer now . Socked feet slapped against the cold floor as she rushed into the office, squeezed past the desk and yanked the door open. The man was backlit by the streetlights, casting his large shadow over her. Her contacts enhanced the imagine on his pin: a fucked up penguin. Of course . “The fuck you want?” Amy shifted her weight to one side, hand sliding to rest on the blowtorch she kept on her mechanic belt. “Boss says you gotta pay up.” His voice was deep and rumbling- she swore she could feel it bass boosted in the floor. Motherfucking asshole coming to MY house at 2 AM in the fucking morning, demanding money outta me like I ain’t got shit to do . Keep it calm, Amy, cool your jets. “‘S the same as usual, yeah?” The man grunted a yes. “Right. Wait out here, it’ll be a minute.” Amy stepped backwards into her office, eyes following the man as he fumbled to get a lighter to work. Only when the door closed did she groan and rub her temples. “Right, amazing… VVIX, open Safe 1 for me?” Strands of hair stuck to her forehead. At some point while she worked, her hair had come undone again. While waiting for VVIX to open the safe, she took out the ponytail holder and worked it through her hair again. She waited, watching one spot on the wall as the bricks slid over each other. They left a small hole behind, just big enough for her slim hands to reach into. More than anything, Amy knew that she would never leave this shop. Not until she died. All her income after bills and debts went back into this place. It was a total dump, but that was part of its appeal. Every inch covered in cameras, her own safety measures on every entry point, and countless secret spots to hide her most precious belongings. Rough concrete scraped her knuckles as she stuck her hand in, grabbing wads of cash. The bills were held together uniformly by rubber bands, but crinkled and occasionally torn. Each bill was lined up with the next perfectly, but the longer you looked the more imperfections you noticed.Not like Penguin would give a shit. No doubt he had a personal bank he could use to swap the bills out for prettier ones to make himself look better. The sick fuck was always preening. Silently fuming to herself, Amy rifled through a stack of box-like items piled next to the desk. She felt a familiar beaten up pleather and fished out her spare briefcase, slamming it down onto the desk. Quickly and methodically, she started counting the stacks of cash and placing them into the briefcase. She spoke aloud, making sure to flick through and count clearly twice to make sure she had the right amount. Once she was certain, Amy stepped back to look at her earnings. She’d barely made the $200 quota, with just $23 to keep for the next time Penguin came calling. It’d be a rough week, but she’d survived off of less. The briefcase snapped shut with two satisfying thunks, clearing her mind. She swung the door open, revealing the Penguin goon swearing and chucking his lighter into the street. “Damn.” Amy wasn’t surprised by the dryness in her tone. “Need a light?” The man looked her over with his small, beady eyes. Now that he wasn’t hovering in her doorway, she could get a better look at him. His mustache gave him a permanent scowl. Tattoos littered his skin, bending over his muscled arms. Without a doubt, he could break every bone in his body. The images of a broken and bleeding body filled her mind with only the night chill to fight it away. Lucky for her, he wouldn’t touch her. Not if he was smart, anyway. Penguin always wanted his money, and Amy needed to be able to work if she wanted to pay off all her debt. The man came over to her, stooping to bear the cigarette he held in his mouth. She fought the urge to crinkle her nose in disgust- he was just inches away from her face. Instead, she maintained eye contact as she raised her blow torch from her belt. Carelessly, she flicked on the flame and angled it to the end of his cigarette. “By the way,” she whispered conspiratorially, “there’s video footage of me counting every bill in this case. If a dime of that doesn’t make it to Penguin, it ain’t gonna be me he comes after.” The way his eyes widened just slightly filled her with a strange sense of pride. She looked down at the flame burning away his cigarette as she pushed the briefcase into his giant hand, angling the blow torch slightly towards him. Only once it began to singe a mustache hair did she click it off and pull away. “Seeya next month?” Without waiting for a response, she slammed the door shut in his face. She could feel the grin on her face, one full of pride and mischief. That man, who played like he was so big and scary, was scared witless for a moment. She’d seen it in his eyes, in the reflection of flame. In her remembering, one hand came up to cradle her cheek. Her skin was still warm to the touch where it had faced the flame. [ Amy, Nightwing has been texting you. ] “Oh, right, I was…” Amy spoke softly, fighting to tear herself from the fog of memory. Deftly, she went to check her phone. <[ soooo we on for tonight? ]<[ I’m parked at 39th and Patrick ]<[ Amy? ]<[ Hellooooooo~ ]<[ I’m so lonely ] Amy found herself chuckling to herself. That wasn’t too far, but she probably shouldn’t go out when she was still dirty from a day of hard work. [ give me like half an hour, yea? ]><[ thank god I thought you were dead ][ yee have little faith ]><[ lol ]<[ look for a blue chrome Honda civic ] Well, this was going to be fun. A stakeout with a stalker vigilante at 2 in the morning. What could possibly go wrong? Turning thoughts over in her head, Amy went to go clean herself up for a long night out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Nightwing put down his binoculars with a frustrated sigh. Glancing at the car’s clock, he realized he’d been watching this warehouse in the Docklands for the last four hours, and he had nothing to show for it. Not a single person had gone in or out, although he was sure people
were
inside. From this distance, the detective vision in his mask could only detect bodies, not details. Whatever they were storing was unknown, although he certainly had an educated guess!
He called back to his scouting recon from earlier that night. Men were camping out on the roofs, leaving him to park his car a ways down the street. He’d contemplated taking one out so he could get a good vantage point, but decided against dealing with shift changes and check-ins. This warehouse had no windows or back doors- or at least none he could easily watch- besides the large truck bays and the main door. From where he was parked, Nightwing had a perfect view of the main entrance.
With any luck, Amy would at least keep him from falling asleep. Nightwing shifted impatiently, trying to stretch his legs. She was late. Maybe she’d decided not to come at all- she hadn’t exactly seemed thrilled at the prospect.
He’d resorted to balancing a wing ding on his fingertip, gaze trained on the warehouse, when someone banged on the passenger door. He cursed, jerking to grab the wing ding before he cut himself with it, and looked over. He was greeted by a wrinkled red dress, darkened by his tinted windows. The woman’s hair spilled over her shoulder in messy curls. A familiar face dropped into the window as he unlocked the door for her.
Amy pulled the door open and slid in, shutting it softly behind her. For a long moment, all was silent. Nightwing found himself looking her over, really taking her in. Every time he saw her, she was different. First, she was a beautiful and worried young woman. Then, a panicked but smart scientist. And now she was… something else. Her mousy brown hair was slightly curled and pulled over one shoulder. The dress strap on the other shoulder had slipped off, gently skirting around her upper arm. Her eyes were half-lidded and guarded, somewhere between exhaustion and irritation. A tentative partner, he decided. A mystery he wanted to understand.
Finally, he found something to say. “You didn’t have to get all dressed up, we’re just going to be sitting in the car.”
“But wouldn’t it be odd if some stranger just sat in the passenger seat of a car that didn’t go anywhere?” Amy reached down between the seat and the door, immediately finding the button to push back her seat.
He chuckled and nodded, returning his attention to the warehouse. “I see. Nice thinking!”
She hummed beside him; he could see her cross her legs from the corner of his eye. “So, what’s the mission?”
“Well,” he began, shifting in his seat to get comfortable, “I did some digging. This warehouse belongs to one of Bane’s top dealers: Flick Davis. I’ve been keeping an eye and ear, but there’s suspiciously little activity in or out.”
“So basically… I’m your entertainment?” She betrayed her annoyance with a snicker.
Nightwing placed a hand on his chest, mouth agape in mock offense. “I would never call you something as simple as ‘entertainment!’”
“Then what
would
you call me?”
“My dear partner, of course!”
“Does your dear partner get to know the full knowledge of your investigation?” He could feel her critical eyes on him, filled with amusement.
Even as he sighed, he felt a relenting smile tug at his lips. “Ask away, partner.”
“Well, for starters,” she shifted in her seat, sitting up properly, “why not just go busting in there?”
“Too reckless. Tonight, we’re getting a sense of their schedules. When anything comes in, if they come out, guard changes, that stuff. I’ll plan a bust with all that information.”
“I don’t see no guards,” She leaned into sight, just at the corner of his vision, as if she could really make anything out from this distance. Her accent was something that came and went, he realized; it was particularly thick tonight.
He gestured up at the rooftops, sparing it a glance. “Seven armed men spread out across the surrounding roofs. Guard changes every two hours with occasional check-ins via radio.”
“Huh. Oddly well protected for a random warehouse.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.” He crossed his arms with a groan, settling back against his seat. “There’s clearly something important in there, probably an Etherium stockpile, but no one’s gone in or out.”
There was a long silence from Amy. He took the opportunity to look at her again. She was leaning forward in her seat, arms propped up on the dashboard. Her blue eyes seemed to glow in the streetlight as she stared pensively down the block, brows knitted in concentration.
“I’m going to look into Etherium as a drug pretty soon.” She spoke softly, mind clearly somewhere else. Now that he looked closer, he could see her eyes were distant and unfocused. “Friction causes it to produce a reaction, so I imagine inhalation would be… less than ideal.”
“Be careful about it, yeah?” Dick sighed internally as she hummed a non committal response that brought to mind his particularly impulsive siblings. He’d done some light digging on Amy when he’d decided to work with her. She had Lucius and Batman’s approval already, but a check-in never hurt. Lucius had said she was brilliant, if impulsive, and Nightwing was starting to see that. “Last thing I need is my dear partner getting hurt.”
She lightly pushed his shoulder, pressing him into the car door. With an easy laugh, he swatted her hand away. Looking at her now, he saw the tension in her shoulders. As she became more aware, more focused, it seemed she brought her guard up more and more. Occasionally her eyes would catch his, just a momentary flicker of deep blue filled with a familiar emotion: distrust.
Well, if they were going to work together, that simply wouldn’t do. Nightwing would never be Batman, but he did learn a lot from him. One of the most important things he had learned training under the Bat, watching the family of vigilantes slowly grow, was that trust could mean life or death.
“So, since we’re partners-”
“Dear partners.”
“-Yes, dear partners, we should know each other better. Right?” He propped his arm on the steering wheel and flashed her his winning Dickie Grayson smile, the one that was made to charm his way through other people’s defenses. She responded with a lopsided grin of her own. One of her teeth was chipped, he noticed. It brought a mischievous, childlike innocence to her thin features. Lit by the streetlamps outside the car, freckles stood out from her pale skin.
“I thought you were a detective. Shouldn’t you know everything about me already?”
Ah, so maybe that was why she was so on edge. In her situation, Dick was sure he’d feel the same. To have a complete stranger know everything about you was… an uncomfortable idea, to say the least. Dick lived one life in the spotlight, another in the shadows. The only people who made the connection between the two were the ones he wanted to. They had already earned his trust.
Nightwing tilted his head, glancing at the warehouse instead of at her. “I only looked into you to find your phone number. You have Fox vouching for you, and that’s enough for me.”
He chose not to mention how Fox had her working on their technology, not yet. He knew Lucius kept it from her likely only due to Batman’s strict protocols around such things, but it spoke volumes that he’d allowed her to do so at all. That tidbit of information was something that should come from Lucius himself.
For a moment, the only sound that filled the car was her shuffling and breathing. He waited patiently, letting her digest the information, feeling the tension ease from the car. Her hands slowly uncurled, her posture slumping against the reclined car seat.
“That’s good,” she said at last. “It’d be unfair for you to have your secrets if I couldn’t have mine.”
“Fair enough, but…” He trailed off, watching her expression closely. Her brows narrowed and her lips pursed incredulously. He flashed another grin at her defensiveness. “Can I at least know why you so casually carry around a taser
and
pistol?”
The second time he’d met her, he wasn’t too surprised by her self defense tools. A taser or pepper spray was a perfectly smart thing for a woman to carry, especially in the rougher parts of Gotham. But a gun? That was a different story.
Amy just blinked, her expression moving from guarded to confused to amused.
Perfect
. “Didnt you know? It’s Gotham.”
“Soooo every woman in Gotham carries a pistol in her purse?”
“The smart ones do.” She paused, eyes darting to the side. He could see the gears working in her head. “It was my dad’s. It’s supposed to stay in the shop, but,” Amy shrugged, as if that was a complete answer.
Content to have brought her guard down, he refocused on their target. He was supposed to be watching it, after all. It’d be just his luck for something interesting to happen the moment he looked away. From the corner of his eye, he saw Amy lean her arms and head on the dash and yawn softly. She wasn’t going to take a nap and leave him awake alone, was she?
In the time it took Nightwing to flick his eyes to Amy, an explosion shook the car. He looked back at the warehouse to discover a rough, jagged shape concealed by smoke sticking out of the roof a good twenty feet that had
certainly
not been there before. Fire licked up its base from the far side of the building, throwing the street into light and illuminating the fleeing men as their shouts filled the night.
“Holy shit,” Amy breathed, reminding him of her presence.
“Stay in the car. I’m going to go help.” Without waiting, he popped open the door and slid out of the car. Amy’s protests followed him out, but he closed and locked the doors too quickly for her to get out. “Sorry! Can’t hear you!”
Nightwing flashed a grin into the tinted windows, picturing how mad she must be. That defiant glint in her eyes, the determined set of her jaw. Amy wasn’t the kind of person to be left behind, even when it was dangerous. She’d made that clear enough when she’d offered this strange partnership of theirs.
In a flash, Nightwing unhooked the grappling gun from his belt. As he shot with one hand, the other came up to his ear to turn on his comms.
“Yo, Oracle, I need emergency services at 39th and Patrick. Warehouse caught fire.” The grapple tugged him up into the air, towards a rooftop he knew was empty. The fire was on the far side of the building and seemingly slow moving- he had to hurry to get the people out. Even criminals didn’t deserve to burn to death.
“On it! Backup is en route.”
With Oracle managing that, he could afford a moment to take in the scene. The men camped on the surrounding rooftops had disappeared. Five men had fled from the smoking building and taken to the streets, not bothering to stick around. He wasn’t sure he’d want to be around when Bane got wind of this either. With the dust settled and his higher vantage point, he could get a better view of the pillar sticking out of the building.
The permanent Gotham cloud cover parted at the perfect time, illuminating the stalagmite of dark ice. The shape reminded Nightwing of a frozen explosion, made of jagged edges that pierced the Gotham skyline. It had to be at least a story and a half on
top
of the two story warehouse- it towered over him with a foreboding shadow.
This was too big, even for Mr. Freeze, wasn’t it? And if it was him, how did he get inside without Nightwing noticing?
These were questions for later. Right now, he had lives to save. Nightwing crouched on the roof’s edge, taking care when aiming his grappling gun. According to the schematics he’d looked up earlier in the stakeout, there was a trapdoor on the roof.
“Mr. Freeze might be here, but not for long. Doubt he’d want to stick around and melt.”
“Roger. Keep me updated, Nightwing.”
With one last glance at the stalagmite, Nightwing zipped down into the burning building.